Coach Don Sevier, 77, a true Arkansas sports legend, passed away on Saturday, May 5, 2012, while holding his wife and daughters’ hand at the Johnson Regional Medical Center in Clarksville.
Coach Sevier was a standout high school athlete at Waldron High School and a two sport star in basketball and football at Arkansas Tech where he graduated in 1957. Don was offered a professional football contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League and a basketball contract with the Phillips 66ers but chose to devote his life to coaching and teaching young men. Coach Sevier coached former White House Chief of Staff Mack McClarty when Mack was in Junior High and went on to teach and coach for nearly forty years at Hope, El Dorado and Russellville High Schools and Arkansas Tech University where the Wonderboys played for the NAIA national championship in football in 1971, as Don assisted then head coach, Don Dempsey.
Coach Sevier finished his career at Arkansas Tech by serving as the Director of Athletics for nineteen years. During that time, he was instrumental in the leadership of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference and was a true pioneer in helping Arkansas Tech transition to the NCAA and helped form and compete in the most powerful division two conference, The Gulf South. Don’s original belief was that the Arkansas schools would be better off competing in a smaller league made up of the old “AIC” and the division two schools in Oklahoma. Coach Sevier saw that come to fruition this year in the formation of the new Great American Conference. For his service to Arkansas Tech, Don was inducted into the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction in 2001.
Don was a man of solid character, honesty and faith and cherished so much the relationships he fostered with players, coaches and other administrators throughout his career. Coach Sevier retired in 1994 and enjoyed spending time with friends and family. Don was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Russellville.
Coach Sevier is survived by his wife of fifty-six years, Joan of Russellville; his only daughter, Jolie Leeds; his son-in-law, Dr. Blaine Leeds; and two grandsons, Brandt and Brennan Leeds, all of Clarksville. Coach Sevier’s nephew, the Mike and Cindy Webb family, their children and grandchildren reside in Ft. Smith.
The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Roy Smith and Mr. Jerry Burns officiating. Burial will be at 4:30 p.m. at Duncan Cemetery at Waldron under the direction of Shinn Funeral Service.
Honorary pallbearers will be Leon Anderson, Rick Thone, Jim Murphy, Kelly Davis, Howard Ritchie, Dr. Stanley Teeter, Dr. Robert Thurlby, Dan Leeds, Charley Ford, Jerry Burns, Chuck Horn, Don Dempsey, Billy Gene Davis, John Montgomery, Cleo Simmons, Bill McSpadden, Ed Bates, Larry Brown, Joe Hoing, Jim Parker and every young man his life influenced.
The family will receive friends following the service in the fellowship hall of First United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Coach Sevier’s name may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Russellville at 479-968-1232 or to the Don and Joan Sevier Endowment Scholarship to Arkansas Tech through the Johnson County Community Foundation at 479-754-5842.

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Don played for my wife’s grandfather LR “Tom” Sawyer. Here is a post I did on him earlier and it mentions Don.

My wife’s grandfather was Lecil Richard “Tom” Sawyer and he lived from September 30, 1906 to September 5, 2004. He was one of the most outstanding men I have ever known. In Waldron, he was a legendary football coach that won 87% of games during the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, and they would later name the football field after him.
Coach Sawyer was married for over 60 years to Vera Mae Martin Sawyer, and their children are Tom Franklin Sawyer of Houston, Texas (who is my father-in-law) and State Senator Mary Anne Salmon of North Little Rock (who is my wife’s aunt).
Most of the details for this article come from an interview I had on Dec. 22nd with Edward “Odell” Fryar who was a running back on the Waldron Bulldog team. Odell and his wife Peggy live in Little Rock, and I got to know them in 1983 when I was a member of Little Rock’s First Baptist Church.
“Coach Sawyer was probably the best high school football coach in Arkansas,” Fryar said. “He was a task master on the practice field and made sure every player played hard every play. Moreover, he was an even better person off the field.”
Tom Franklin Sawyer noted, “My father cared about his players, but he got the most out of them. I remember that if a running back fumbled the ball in a game, then that player would carry a football with him to all his school classes the next week.”
“My father was a great motivator and encourager and those two qualities brought out the best in his players,” daughter Mary Anne Salmon said.
Fryar was a junior on the  district winning 1948 team, and actually Waldron won the district all three years that Fryar was on the team (1947-49). Waldron was a small town of only 1,292 people in 1948 and Benton had over 6,000 people. Fryar said it was not unusual for Waldron to have 30 players dressed out and to be facing teams that had many more players and also the opposing players would be much larger than they were.
The day after Thanksgiving in 1948, Waldron had traveled to Bentonville and beat the undefeated Tigers. Fryar said that the Tigers should have won the game, but  two trick plays resulted in big plays for Waldron.
The first was on a kick off when Herman Jones faked a hand off to Buddy Rogers while returning a kickoff, and all the team blocked for Rogers. The result was that the whole Bentonville team tried to pursue Rogers while Jones hid the ball on his hip and ran slowly all the way to the 10 -yard line.
The second trick play involved Fryar getting a pitch from the quarterback, Leon Bobbitt, and running hard to the left. When the defense  rushed him,  he threw a long 45 -yard lofty pass to Bush McGaugh who was wide open, and McGaugh ran under it and took it for a long touchdown play. That resulted in a  20-19 victory over a very good Bentonville team. Now, Waldron would advance to play the Benton Panthers in the state playoffs.
The victory over Bentonville was a costly one for the Waldron Bulldogs. Johnny Evans, the star running back,was banged up and Fryar had to replace him most of the time for the Benton game.
Fryar said there was  a big crowd on hand and a thick fog settling over the field. The Panthers had more players suited out than Waldron, and they looked much bigger than the Bulldogs did too. However, Waldron had the tallest player on the field with tight end Don Sevier who was 6-8, and later Sevier earned All Conference honors for Arkansas Tech in basketball as their center, and eventually served as the Athletic Director for Arkansas Tech.
Benton Panther standout players included Bill Level, a 225 lb tackle, who was a four year letterman, and “Shoat” Shoppach, 165 lb left halfback.
According to the December 9, 1948 issue of The Benton Courier, the Benton Panthers defeated Waldron 13-6 at C.W. Lewis Stadium. Here is what the article reported:
The Benton Panthers were pushed to defeat the unbeaten and untied Waldron Bulldogs 13-6 at Lewis Stadium Friday night.
The Panthers scored late in the second quarter on a pass from Erwin to Jennings, who was standing in the end zone. Lovell’s try for the extra point was good. The Panthers led 7-0 at the half.
Benton kicked off to start the last half. One play after the kick off Buddy Rogers got on a 75 yard run, and was brought down on the 5 yard line. Two plays later Herman Jones try for the extra point was blocked. Benton led 7-6.
Benton scored in the last quarter on a pass from Erwin to Smith that was good for 35 yards and Smith ran 20 more to score. Lovell’s kick for the extra point was blocked.
Waldron was hampered by injuries, and many of the players had to be taken from the field. There was a fog all the last half which made seeing the ball difficult for the players, as well as the fans.
The final score was Benton 13, Waldron 6.
Probably the greatest legacy that Sawyer had was the family and friends that he influenced. Not only did Sawyer serve as football coach but he was the Waldron School Superintendent from 1934 to 1975 and Mayor of Waldron from 1975 to 1983. He also taught a men’s Sunday School Class at the Waldron First Baptist Church for many years.
“There are few people in my life that have received the level of respect I hold for L.R. “Tom” Sawyer,” state representative Terry Rice of Waldron said. “I guess the saying, ‘You give respect, you get respect’ fits well here. Whether it was a small child who needed reassuring, a student who had acted up, or an adult from any walk of life, I witnessed someone who could be as kind, as tough, or as knowledgeable as possible while always listening”
Rice said that even though Sawyer could have moved on to have “achieve lofty heights and big pay,” he chose to stay and touch the lives of thousands of people in Scott County.
William Roy Wilson, Jr., an United States Senior District Judge, recalls a story from his senior year at Waldron High School involving Sawyer and some chewing gum.
“I was in the library chewing gum, and Mr. Sawyer called me outside and told me, ‘Billy Roy, you are kind of a leader and I need for you do me a favor,” Wilson recalls. “’If you see anyone chewing gum, tell them it is against the rules and I am sure they will listen to you.’ I swallowed that gum on the spot.”
About a year ago, my wife Jill and I talked about the legacy of her grandfather  who we called, “PapPaw.” I told her that I decided to have my grandkids call me PapPaw out of honor of the memory of her grandfather. The complicating factor was that my 3 yr old grandson, Luke Hatcher, had already been calling me “Granddaddy.” However, he did well in the transition, and he told my son , “Granddaddy wants me to call him PapPaw!!!”
I hope that one day Luke will ask me why I chose the name “PapPaw, and I will be glad to tell him.
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Everette Hatcher is a regular contributor to The Saline Courier. He is the fourth generation in his family to work in the broom manufacturing business. Everette and his wife Jill have four children and live in Alexander.

LR “Tom” Sawyer shown at his desk at Waldron School District around 1940.